Family files claim for morning-after pill

Billings Gazette ^ | 12/17/2004 | Associated Press

[Lib Buster]

WORLAND (AP) -- The family of a teenage girl who was allegedly given emergency contraception pills under the supervision of a school counselor has filed a claim against Washakie County School District No. 1.

The claim included a dollar amount, but the family's attorney, Larry Berryman, declined to reveal it, the Northern Wyoming Daily News reports.

Berryman said in a prepared statement that the Worland High School student, 15, confided in the ninth-grade counselor that she had sex with a 23-year-old and was afraid of being pregnant.

The counselor made an appointment with the public health office in Worland and took the girl to the office during class time in her own vehicle.

The public health nurse dispensed the prescription-only, "morning-after" pills. "She was returned to the school with the statement by the counselor that what had happened was their secret and they did not have to tell her parents," Berryman said.

"This was done without the knowledge or permission of the parents."

Berryman said he mailed the claim to the state Dec. 10 and the claim was delivered to both the school district and county offices on Monday.

Superintendent Mike Hejtmanek directed questions Thursday to the district's attorney, Bill Shelledy, who declined to comment besides acknowledging that the district had received the claim.

[bushisdamanin04]

I had a similar case with clients of mine. They were quite poor and both minorities and the other driver's insurance company was claiming it was my clients' fault and three other attorneys had turned them down. I was suspicious because the other driver was an insurance agent and of course insured by the company he worked for. I went to the scene and looked it over and it was quite obvious to me that my clients were not at fault. They said they were stopped behind the stop line and the other driver tried to make a right onto the street they were on and was going to fast in the snow and slid across the road and hit them. The other driver claimed that my clients had stopped way in front of the stop line and were blocking him.

Problem was, the other driver had impaled his SUV on a giant "screw" that was to be part of the base of a new light pole and the base was even with the stop line. I even invited the attorney who had been threatening my client to the scene and went over it with her. I also talked to the woman who lived on the corner and heard the collision and went to check on the people. She was a former cop and was of the opinion that the bad guy was high on Mary Jane. The other attorney evidently wasn't impressed (I think the insurance company was the driving force) and demanded that my uninsured clients pay them.

I told them that my clients were paying nothing and that they should sue. I even gave them my clients' address and told them when they were usually home. They finally sued (I didn't want to file as my clients had no money and as I was new in practice and poor myself I didn't want to pay the filing fee.

I immediately counter sued and at arbitration we won and were awarded $12,000. It was especially satisfying in that other attorneys wouldn't touch their case.

[exnavychick]

BWAHAHAHA!!! Morons got hoisted on their own petard! Good job for your clients!

BTW, was there any confirmation of Mary Jane showing up at the scene? LOL If so, I hope they got to spend some time in jail, along with higher insurance rates. :)

[bushisdamanin04]

Okay, since you passed on the opportunity to agree with me that I am a bad person, I'll quit while I'm ahead. :)

[bushisdamanin04]

No as to MJ. The other driver begged the woman who lived on the corner not to call the cops. Advice to all: If you are involved in a collision that is NOT your fault, call the police! A driver who may seem very apologetic and cooperative at the scene may very well change his mind once he talks to his insurer.

[bushisdamanin04]

There is something I've been meaning to comment on and I just never have, but it just popped into my mind again and I'll take the opportunity now.

I've posted to many boards and on every other board the poster's names are quite prominent and people would often respond basing their posts on WHO they were responding to rather than the issue and it always led to a series of personal attacks.

Here, although the posters' names are there, the names are displayed in such a way as to deemphasize them. The result is that most of the time I don't even notice WHO I am responding to as opposed to WHAT I am responding to. Oh well, now I've said it ... and I feel so much better!

[exnavychick]

LOL...I know what you mean! I visit another board quite frequently (pregnancy one) and believe it or not, things get quite nasty from time to time. The upside to that is, you know who the bad apples are (people that like to start fights on a particular topic or on a particular person) and you can usually choose to "ignore user" on that board. It's great! LOL

[bushisdamanin04]

Pregnant women doing battle! Sounds like a CBS "reality" show. :)
..

[brooke_ra]

the problem here is also the fact that if the man in question is 23 it is not statutory rape rather child molestation. I know one should not take personal attacks on people but the counselor in question also told one of her students many years ago that she should have gotten an abortion rather than bring her child into the world.